Adjustable sports rope

ABSTRACT

An adjustable sports rope comprised of a hollow base rope sheath and an adjustment rope. The hollow base rope sheath is a hollow sheath with at least two openings. The adjustment rope enters into the hollow base rope sheath through one of the at least two openings and exits the base rope sheath through another of the at least two openings. The one end of the hollow base rope sheath terminates at a tie point. The end of the adjustment rope disposed furthest from the hollow base rope sheath tie point is also a tie point. By creating a tensile force between the tie point of the hollow base rope sheath and the tie point of the adjustment rope, the hollow base rope sheath will tighten on the adjustment rope, holding the adjustment rope in place.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to the classes of sports, games, and amusements;and ships or other waterborne vessels. Specifically, this inventionrelates to an adjustable tow rope used for water-sports.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Water sports such as water-skiing and wake-boarding require the use of atow rope and a motor boat to pull the skier or boarder. In order tooptimize the experience, most water sport enthusiasts prefer a tow ropethat is adjusted to a particular length. The length of the tow rope andthe speed of the motor boat are often inter-related: water sportenthusiasts prefer longer tow ropes for faster speeds and shorter towropes for slower speeds. The type of boat often dictates rope length asa boat that leaves a larger wake usually requires a longer rope. Theability of the water sports enthusiast also comes into play, as novicestend to like shorter ropes.

The tow rope is usually fixed at one end to a mount point, called a tiepoint, on the motor boat with a rope loop. The other end of the tow ropeis also a rope loop that mates with a handle or grip. Current watersporttow ropes on the market do not allow for fast and easy adjustment to bemade to the length of the rope, because the tow ropes are fixed to themotor boat at one end and are fixed to a handle at the other end.Currently, to adjust the tow rope, the rope loop must be removed fromthe mount point on the motor boat. Then, a new, intermediate rope loopis fashioned between the original rope loop and handle. The intermediaterope loop is attached to the mount point on the motor boat. This processis difficult if a skier or boarder is treading water. Creating aplurality of intermediate rope loops eventually ruins the utility of therope.

Other leisure equipment also involves rope adjustment. For example,hammocks are typically tied between two trees and/or posts. To get thehammock to be correctly positioned above the ground usually requires ahammock strap. Hammock straps are bulky, heavy, and have a limitednumber of adjustment points.

The sporting goods market is in need of a rope that can be easilyadjusted for length without removing the rope from its mounting points.Such an adjustable rope should be easily adjustable in either direction:longer or shorter. Such an adjustable rope should remain fixed at itsset-position while in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This summary is intended to disclose the present invention, anadjustable sports rope. The embodiments and descriptions are used toillustrate the invention and its utility and are not intended to limitthe invention or its use.

The present invention, an adjustable rope has compound constructioncomposed of a hollow outer rope, called a hollow base rope sheath; and asolid, inner rope, called an adjustment rope. The hollow base ropesheath has no core and is just a sheath, also called jacket. In theembodiment illustrated herein, the base rope is a braided sheath madeout of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (“UHMwPE”). Theadjustment rope is a woven rope also made out of UHMwPE. More commonmaterials, such as polyester, polypropylene, and nylon can besubstituted, or used in combination with UHMwPE. In the embodimentillustrated herein, the adjustment rope is braided UHMwPE with a fibercore.

In water sports, a tie point is a permanent loop in the end of a ropeintended to attach the rope to a handle, mount, or anchor. The hollowbase rope sheath has a tie point on one end. The other end of the hollowbase rope sheath terminates in a service loop that secures the hollowbase rope sheath to a retention clip. The hollow base rope sheath has atleast two openings. The adjustment rope is fed through an opening in thehollow base rope sheath. The adjustment rope comes out of the hollowbase rope sheath through a second opening. The adjustment rope has a tiepoint disposed furthest from the tie point of hollow base rope sheath.The other end of the adjustment rope has a cylindrical grip. The tiepoint on the adjustment rope is disposed away from the tie point on thebase rope. The tie point on the base rope will typically be attached toa handle or grip for the water sport enthusiast to hold. The tie pointon the adjustment rope will typically be attached to the motor boattow-rope mount.

Pulling on the tie point of the hollow base rope sheath relative to thetie point of the adjustment rope tightens the base rope around theadjustment rope. In other words, a tensile force between the tie pointon the base rope and the tie point on the adjustment rope will cause thehollow base rope sheath to tighten on the adjustment rope, holding theadjustment rope in place. By grasping the hollow base rope sheath at oneof the openings, the adjustment rope can be adjusted relative to thebase rope.

In order to shorten the length of the adjustable sports rope, the userwould hold the hollow base rope sheath at the opening nearest the tiepoint of the hollow base rope sheath and grasp the cylindrical grip ofthe adjustment rope. By pulling the cylindrical grip of the adjustmentrope, the adjustment rope travels through the hollow base rope sheathand the overall length between the base rope tie point and theadjustment rope tie point will be shortened.

In order to lengthen the length of the adjustable sports rope, the userwould hold the base rope at the base rope opening disposed furthest fromthe base rope tie point, or at the base rope retention clip. The userwould slide the adjustment rope through the base rope, lengthening theadjustable sports rope.

The base rope and adjustment rope share a common longitudinal axis. Thebraided or double-braided sheath of the hollow base rope sheath tightensas a tensile force is applied between the tie point of the adjustmentrope and the tie point of the hollow base rope sheath along the axis incommon.

The base rope and adjustment rope can be fabricated from any typicalwater-sports rope material, such as nylon, UHMwPE, polypropylene,polyester, or a combination of the above. The base rope and theadjustment rope can be braided, plaited, or double-braided. Theadjustment rope can be of twisted construction. Typically, the sheath ofthe base rope is made from double-braided UHMwPE. The adjustment rope ismade from braided UHMwPE with a UHMwPE and polypropylene fiber core.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated with 5 drawings on 5 sheets. FIG. 1is an isolated top view of the tie-point end of the hollow base ropesheath and the cylindrical grip end of the adjustment rope. FIG. 2 is anisolated top view of the adjustment rope emerging from the base rope.FIG. 3 is an isolated top view of the clip-end of the base rope with theadjustment rope emerging from the base rope. FIG. 4 is an isolated topview of the adjustment rope tie point. FIG. 5 is a top view of thepresent invention with both the base rope and adjustment rope.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following descriptions are not meant to limit the invention, butrather to add to the summary of invention, and illustrate the presentinvention, an adjustable sports rope. The present invention isillustrated with a variety of drawings showing various possibleembodiments.

FIG. 1 is an isolated top view of the present invention, an adjustablesports rope with compound construction 1. FIG. 5 is a top view of theentire invention. In this case, compound construction refers to the factthat there are two ropes, a hollow base rope sheath 10 and an adjustmentrope 100 that comprise the adjustable sports rope with compoundconstruction 1. The hollow base rope sheath 10 has a longitudinal length13. The hollow base rope sheath 10 has, as a first termination point, atie point 11, and as a second termination point, a service loop 81. Thetie point 11 and service loop 81 are disposed at opposites of thelongitudinal length 13 from one another. The hollow base rope sheath 10has an aglet 12 disposed adjacent to the tie point 11, to prevent thehollow base rope sheath 10 from weakening at the tie point 11. Thehollow base rope sheath 10 also has an aglet 80 near the service loop81. In the embodiment illustrated by these drawings, the hollow baserope sheath 10 has two openings 98, 60. One opening 98 is disposedcloser to the tie point 11. The other opening 60 is disposed closer tothe service loop 81.

The adjustment rope 100 has a longitudinal length 102. The adjustmentrope 100 has, as a first termination point, a cylindrical grip 101, andas a second termination point, a tie point 111. The adjustment rope 100has an aglet 112 disposed adjacent to the tie point 111, to prevent theadjustment rope 100 from weakening at the tie point 111. The adjustmentrope 100 enters the hollow base rope sheath 10 at the opening 98disposed closer to the tie point 11 of the hollow base rope sheath 10.The adjustment rope 100 exits the hollow base rope sheath 10 at theopening 60 disposed closer to the service looper 81.

A clip 200 is attached to the hollow base rope sheath 10 by the serviceloop 81 and hole 202 configuration. The adjustment rope goes through ahole 201 in the clip 200.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up isolation of the adjustment rope 100 enteringthe hollow base rope sheath 10 at the first opening 98. The hollow baserope sheath 10 has a plurality of fibers 99. In this illustration, thehollow base rope sheath 10 is single braided fibers 99. The adjustmentrope 100 also has a plurality of fibers 199. In this illustration, theadjustment rope is single braided fibers 199. Water sport ropes (e.g.,1) can come twisted, braided, or double-braided fibers, although onlysingle-braided fibers are shown in these drawings. The fibers 99, 199can be made from nylon, Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene(“UHMwPE”), polypropylene, polyester, or a combination of the above. Forsports such as wakeboarding, a fiber with much less give or stretch,such as UHMwPE, is preferable. For sports such as water-skiing, a ropethat stretches or elongates is more practical.

FIG. 3 shows a close-up isolation of the adjustment rope 100 leaving thehollow base rope sheath 10 at the second opening 60. The hollow baserope sheath 10 fibers 99 and adjustment rope 100 fibers 199 areapparent. The aglet 80 disposed close to the service loop 81 is moreeasily visible in this view. The clip 200 is also more easily visible inthis view. The clip 200 has two holes 201, 202. The service loop 81captures the clip 200 at one hole 202. The adjustment rope 100 fitsthrough the clip 200 at the other hole 201. The clip 200 has an edge 203and an inflection point 204. The inflection point 204 allows the hole201 to hit the adjustment rope 100 at a non-orthogonal angle, therebyhelping to capture the adjustment rope 100. The clip 200 can be made ofsteel, aluminum, plastic, or zinc. The preferred material is zinc due toits stiffness and corrosion resistance.

FIG. 4 shows a close-up of the adjustment rope 100 tie point 111termination end. The aglet 112 prevents the tie point 111 from weakeningthe adjustment rope 100. The adjustment rope 100 has external fibers199. The adjustment rope can also be constructed with a core ofdifferent fibers in order to strike the right compromise between price,stiffness, and weight. Due to the practicalities of drawing anadjustment rope with a core is not shown.

Pulling on the tie point 11 of the hollow base rope sheath 10 relativeto the tie point 111 of the adjustment rope 100 tightens the hollow baserope sheath 10 around the adjustment rope 100. In other words, a tensileforce between the tie point 11 on the hollow base rope sheath 10 and thetie point 111 on the adjustment rope 100 will cause the hollow base ropesheath 10 to tighten on the adjustment rope 100, holding the adjustmentrope 100 in place. The braided fibers 99 of the hollow base rope sheath10 tighten on the adjustment rope 100 under a tensile force.

By grasping the hollow base rope sheath 10 at one of the openings 98,60, the adjustment rope 100 can be adjusted relative to the hollow baserope sheath 10. The adjustment rope 100 and the hollow base rope sheath10 share a common axis between the two openings 98, 60. The adjustmentrope 100 and the hollow base rope sheath 10 both have a longitudinallength 102, 13. In order to shorten the length of the adjustable sportsrope 1, the user would hold the hollow base rope sheath 10 at theopening 98 nearest the tie point 11 of the hollow base rope sheath 10and grasp the cylindrical grip 101 of the adjustment rope 100. Bypulling the cylindrical grip 101 of the adjustment rope 100, theadjustment rope 100 travels through the hollow base rope sheath 10 andthe overall length between the hollow base rope sheath 10 tie point 11and the adjustment rope 100 tie point 111 will be shortened.

I claim:
 1. An adjustable sports rope of compound constructioncomprising: a hollow base rope sheath having a longitudinal length, afirst termination point, a second termination point, and at least twoopenings, wherein a first opening is disposed closest to the firsttermination point and a second opening is disposed closest to the secondtermination point; an adjustment rope having a longitudinal length, afirst termination point, and a second termination point, and beingcapable of fitting within the hollow base rope sheath; wherein theadjustable sports rope may be configured so that the adjustment ropeenters the hollow base rope sheath through one of the at least twoopenings in the hollow base rope sheath and exits the hollow base ropesheath through another of the at least two openings; wherein, when soconfigured, the first termination point of the hollow base rope sheathis disposed closer to the first termination point of the adjustment ropethan the second termination point of the adjustment rope; and wherein atensile force between the first termination point of the hollow baserope sheath and the second termination point of the adjustment ropecauses the hollow base rope sheath to tighten on the adjustment rope,capturing the adjustment rope.
 2. The adjustable sports rope of compoundconstruction in claim 1, wherein the first termination point of thehollow base rope sheath is a fixed loop known as a tie point.
 3. Theadjustable sports rope of compound construction in claim 2, wherein thesecond termination point of the adjustment rope is a tie point.
 4. Theadjustable sports rope of compound construction in claim 3, wherein thefirst termination point of the adjustment rope is a cylindrical grip. 5.The adjustable sports rope of compound construction in claim 4, furthercomprising a clip with at least two holes, wherein the secondtermination point of the hollow base rope sheath is a service loop thatcaptures the clip by fitting through one hole.
 6. The adjustable sportsrope of compound construction in claim 5, wherein the adjustment ropepasses through a second hole in the clip.
 7. The adjustable sports ropeof compound construction in claim 6, wherein the adjustment rope may bemoved relative to the hollow base rope sheath by grasping the hollowbase rope sheath at the first opening, disposed closest to the firsttermination point, and using the cylindrical grip of the adjustment ropeto pull the adjustment rope through the hollow base rope sheath.
 8. Theadjustable sports rope of compound construction in claim 6, wherein theadjustment rope may be moved relative to the hollow base rope sheath bygrasping the hollow base rope sheath by the second opening, disposedclosest to the second termination point, and pulling the adjustment ropethrough the hollow base rope sheath.
 9. The adjustable sports rope ofcompound construction in claim 6, wherein the hollow base rope sheath isbraided.
 10. The adjustable sports rope of compound construction inclaim 6, wherein the hollow base rope sheath is double-braided.
 11. Theadjustable sports rope of compound construction in claim 6, wherein thehollow base rope sheath is constructed from at least one of nylon,Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (“UHMwPE”), polypropylene, andpolyester.
 12. The adjustable sports rope of compound construction inclaim 6, wherein the hollow base rope sheath is constructed from atleast two of nylon, Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (“UHMwPE”),polypropylene, and polyester.
 13. The adjustable sports rope of compoundconstruction in claim 6, wherein the adjustment rope is braided.
 14. Theadjustable sports rope of compound construction in claim 6, wherein theadjustment rope is double-braided.
 15. The adjustable sports rope ofcompound construction of claim 6, wherein the adjustment rope istwisted.
 16. The adjustable sports rope of compound construction ofclaim 14, wherein the adjustment rope has a core.
 17. The adjustablesports rope of compound construction of claim 15, wherein the adjustmentrope has a core.
 18. The adjustable sports rope of compound constructionin claim 6, wherein the adjustment rope is constructed from at least oneof nylon, Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (“UHMwPE”),polypropylene, and polyester.
 19. The adjustable sports rope of compoundconstruction in claim 6, wherein the adjustment rope is constructed fromat least two of nylon, Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene(“UHMwPE”), polypropylene, and polyester.
 20. The adjustable sports ropeof compound construction of claim 6, wherein the clip is fabricated fromzinc.